Abuja, Nigeria — November 5 2025 | Dalena Reporters
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has accused the government of President Bola Tinubu of colluding with the judiciary in a secret political plot to sentence the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to either death or life imprisonment. According to a post on his social-media account Wednesday, Sowore asserts that the decision has already been made and the ongoing trial is merely a formality.
“For the avoidance of doubt and to alert the public, it has become clear that a secret decision has long been reached within the Tinubu regime regarding the fate of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” Sowore’s post reads. “The plan … is to either sentence him to death or condemn him to life imprisonment. This outcome, predetermined far in advance, is now being dressed up in the guise of judicial procedure.”
Sowore’s allegations mention Judge James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja as a facilitator of the purported scheme. The activist claims that Omotosho may interpret Kanu’s repeated refusal to open his defence as an admission of guilt — thereby making the conclusion inevitable. “Justice Omotosho is expected to conclude Kanu’s trial by declaring that his refusal to open his defence amounts to an admission of guilt — a convenient interpretation designed to seal a verdict already agreed upon behind closed doors,” Sowore wrote.
Kanu, leader of IPOB, is charged with offences including terrorism and treasonable felony following his arrest and extradition from abroad. He has repeatedly challenged the legitimacy of the charges, court jurisdiction and the extradition process. Earlier, the court gave him until Wednesday November 5 to open his defence or risk forfeiting that right altogether.
Sowore draws a chilling parallel between the current trial and the 1995 execution of environmental activist Ken Saro‑Wiwa and eight others by the military regime of Sani Abacha. “It was in November 1995 … The machinery of repression still grinds on. The trial of Nnamdi Kanu has ceased to be about justice; it is now a test of conscience for the Nigerian state and its citizens alike,” he wrote.
At the time of publication, neither the Tinubu administration nor the judiciary had responded publicly to Sowore’s specific allegations. A government spokesperson earlier stated that Nigeria remains committed to applying the rule of law and ensuring fair trials. The judiciary similarly has maintained that proceedings are pursuant to due process.
The claim of a predetermined verdict if accurate — carries serious implications for Nigeria’s constitutional democracy and principles of judiciary independence. Analysts say that the outsourcing of verdicts to political decisions rather than legal argument undermines public confidence in the justice system, especially in the context of Nigeria’s delicate ethnic and regional politics.
For the Southeast region, where Kanu enjoys significant support, the verdict may spark further unrest or deepen alienation. International observers monitoring Nigeria’s human-rights and religious-freedom record will also weigh the trial’s conduct and outcome against global standards.
The unfolding situation surrounding Kanu’s trial presents a defining crossroads for Nigeria: it is not merely about one man or one organisation, but about whether the rule of law in Nigeria will prevail over political expediency. It is a moment that may shape public trust in institutions for years to come.